building my own computer….suggestions please

[John Rofrano]

The full specs of my system are on the PC Equipment page of my web site. A number of us built this same system a year ago and no one has complaints and it’s still a killer system that is solid as rock and so whisper quiet that I do voice overs sitting directly in front of it.

If I had to build one today I would build an 8-core machine but that is definitely over your $2000 limit. Many people are building Intel i7 systems these days. They are said to be faster for tasks like video editing.

My formula is simple. Buy an Intel motherboard with an Intel processor and memory that is listed on the Intel site as having been tested with the motherboard and you can’t go wrong. Your system will be solid as a rock.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Rhys Panero]

What are your thoughts on the Intel i7 systems (920 or 940) vs the Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme.

Thanks

[John Rofrano]

From what I’ve read the i7 systems process video faster than the Core 2 Quad that I have. If I was building another Quad system I would seriously look at the i7. I haven’t priced them out but if they are within your budget, I would go for one.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Neal Wingenbach]

I logged on to ask this very same question. The issue I am having is that playing HDV video playback (Sony *m2ts files recorded at full HD with an SR12) is incredibly rough. This only happens within Vegas Platinum Pro so I am still wondering if I could tweak some settings within Vegas to fix this. But still, I am hoping that a new system will fix this.

My current system has the following config:
Dell Dimension 9100
Pentium Dual Core (2Ghz)
4 GB DDR2 RAM
SATA2 hard drives – video and page file are on seperate drives
NVidia 6800
XP Pro Service Pack 3

Question, do you think the above system config is underpowered to smoothly edit m2ts files?

[John Frey]

Prices are falling for components needed to put together a very fast edit workstation. I have built(3)edit workstations in the past 18 months now running Vista 64bit based upon Intel or Asus Motherboards, Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad Core processors, big power supplies, lots of cooling, and plenty of ram. These are gradually replacing older systems in our studios. I am now pricing/shopping for a 4th system. Intel iCore procs are very fast indeed, and the 920 version is reasonably priced. But, you will need a pricy motherboard and DDR3 ram to work with it, so plan on spending extra if you go that route. Some features on the newer, mboards to look for are HDMI, external Sata connectors, and soon, USB3. Check out NewEgg for reviews and pricing. Good luck!

John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.

Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore

[John Rofrano]

> Question, do you think the above system config is underpowered to smoothly edit m2ts files?

Yes, definitely. The Sony web site recommends a minimum of 2.8Ghz for editing HD. Also, if you really have a Pentium Dual Core and not the newer Core 2 Duo this is even worse because the older Dual Core technology performs poorly.

> The issue I am having is that playing HDV video playback (Sony *m2ts files recorded at full HD with an SR12) is incredibly rough.

Just so people don’t get confused when they read this, HDV is a 1440×1080 tape based format using miniDV tapes and MPEG-2 compression that plays very smoothly in Vegas on modern PC’s. Your SR12 shoots 1920×1080 AVCHD which is a tapeless format using AVC compression that even the most powerful PC’s today have some trouble with.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Rhys Panero]

What Intel Motherboard would you reccomend for the Intel i7 Core processor?

Thanks again for the help!

[John Rofrano]

> What Intel Motherboard would you reccomend for the Intel i7 Core processor?

There is only one from Intel right now and that’s the Intel DX58SO Extreme Series.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Rhys Panero]

Ok thanks for all the help. I’m going for it….here is what I have in the cart at newegg…(please remember I’m a newbie at best so please bare with me)

Motherboard..Intel DX58SO
CPU………..Intel Core i7 920
Memory ……Corsair XMS3 6GB(3x2GB) (max for the i7 Core..not sure?)
Video Card…ASUS GeForce 9600GT 512MB
Pwr Supply…SeaSonic M-12-600W ATX12V
Optical Dr1…Pioneer 8XBlu-Ray DVD Burner model# BDR-203BKS
Optical Dr2…Pioneer 20X DVD+-R Burner model# DVR-2910
Oper. Sys…..Vista 64 Home Prem.

Things I still need are…

Tower……need ATX..I guess a Mid Tower should be fine ? (couldn’t find the Antec Lifestyle Sonata ll @NE)
Hard Dr1…not sure what would work best with the above in the 600GB range
Hard Dr2….700+GB range again not sure on best compatible

What are thoughts on the above items…I guess i’ts all compatible?
Any suggestions on the Case/Tower and Hard Drives?
What else am I forgetting for the tower?

Thanks again for the help. This is my first build and I want to get it right.

[Neal Wingenbach]

Thanks for the reply, John. I’ll be going as big as I can on the new system. Definitely, an Intel i7-940 with an ASUS MB. I don’t quite think I can go to dual socket as that’d probably break the bank.

Neal